Looking Back: Soham stories, compiled by Mike Petty Soham stories from ‘A Cambridgeshire Scrapbook’ 1897-1990, compiled by Mike Petty Introduction Each evening from March 1997 to March 2015 I compiled a ‘Looking Back’ column in the Cambridge News in which I featured snippets from issues of 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. I sought out unusual items relating to villages and areas of Cambridge not usually featured These stories are mainly from issues of the Cambridge Daily/Evening/Weekly News of 1897- 1990. They are by no means a complete record of what was published. I can supply actual copies of many of these articles – please contact me. The complete file of ‘Cambridgeshire Scrapbook’ entries is available to download at bit.ly/CambsCollection The newspapers are held in the Cambridgeshire Collection together with other Cambridge titles back to 1762. They have a variety of indexes including a record of stories for every village in Cambridgeshire between 1770-1900 and newspaper cuttings files on 750 topics from 1958 to date. I initiated much of the indexing and have many indexes of my own. Please feel free to contact me for advice and assistance. For more details of newspapers and other sources for Cambridgeshire history see my website www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/MikePetty This index was produced as a working part of my personal research resources and would benefit by editing. Please may what use of it you may. But please remember where it came from Mike Petty, www.mikepetty.org.uk email [email protected] 01353 648106 12 November 2016 Mike Petty – www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/MikePetty - 01353 648106 1 Looking Back: Soham stories, compiled by Mike Petty Looking Back: Soham compiled by Mike Petty 1897-1908 1899 Sep 20 Newmarket RDC heard that at Landwade there was a pump that had been erected by subscription, the piping had never been properly fixed and there was now a leakage. Complaints were made as to the indifferent water supply at Reach. There was a spring of good water near the Delph Bridge, which by reason of its being open was often full of tadpoles and other little animals. If a cover were put over it would be a good source of water. The inhabitants of Kirtling obtained a great deal of their water from a dirty pond. The water to certain homes in Soham was filled with dead cats. 1899 Oct 05 Richard Drake, machinist from Sutton, was summoned for permitting a locomotive to be used on the highway drawing more than three loaded wagons. P.S. Hodge said he saw a traction engine in Churchgate Street, Soham drawing three wagons, a house van and a chaff cutter. The driver said that his master had expected they would be stopped. Fined 30s. 1900 May 4th A most disastrous fire broke out in the centre of Soham which has reduced to a mass of blackened ruins an ancient hostelry, with its contents and outbuildings, a tradesman’s shop and houses, & rendered homeless a dozen persons. The old hostelry “The Fountain”, with its rooms panelled with oak, and interesting alike to the antiquarian and lover of old-style architecture, stood at the corner of Churchgate Street. It was built mostly of timber and had plaster walls, with lath and reeds between. The firemen succeeded in preventing the fire involving a tall building, used in years gone by as a steelyard, hay and straw weighing apparatus. 1901 Apr 17 A disastrous fire occurred at Soham vicarage. It is really in two parts, the old portion, used by the servants, being connected by a passage with the new wing in which the Rev J.C. Rust and his children were sleeping. The seat of the fire was in the old portion in a room used by the sons of the vicar as a carpenter’s shop. The cook and the housemaid were awakened by stifling smoke and clad only in their night attire, climbed on the roof. Practically the whole of the old wing was gutted, the furniture as wells as the belongings of the servants being destroyed 1901 Jul 31 Suggestions that the model cottage is not so comfortable as the old-fashioned thatched dwellings must not be accepted without some qualification. Surely nobody will contend that the thatched cottage, with a low roof and a ladder for a staircase, is more comfortable than the brick cottage. Very few have inspected the model cottage on Mr Crisp’s estate at Girton or they would not have committed themselves to such an unfortunate pronouncement. It is nothing short of a grave scandal that such large centres as Cottenham, Swavesey and Soham are in danger in the summer of suffering from a short water supply. 1901 Nov 21 Mr Benstead of Swaffham Prior asked Newmarket RDC to take over parts of the road which have been metalled by the Fen Reeves. Some councillors spoke in opposition. Mr Tebbitt said there was pretty much 100 miles of such roads in Soham and he would move that Soham Fen roads be served likewise. Mr Munsey said he would do the same as regards Fordham. It was decided to refer the matter to a committee to thoroughly consider and report. Mike Petty – www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/MikePetty - 01353 648106 2 Looking Back: Soham stories, compiled by Mike Petty 1902 Sep 20 Soham Grammar School is keeping abreast of the times and of modern educational requirements. Under the present headmaster, Mr W.H. Mould, the number of scholars has risen from 20 to nearly 70. Though of ancient foundation a progressive spirit pervades the establishment as is evidenced by the addition of a laboratory and workshops. Here the art and woodwork master, Mr F.V. Worthy will instruct the boys in woodwork and the use of tools. The object is not to turn out carpenters; it is to train the boys’ faculties so they will have an intelligent appreciation of the value of work and of workpeople. 1903 Sep 30 Jonas Leonard of Soham told magistrates he brought the growing crop of oats on Mr Mainprice’s land and shocked it and raked between the shocks. The shocks were carted and the rakings left on the land with four sheaves, two at each end of the field to show the land was not cleared; this was the custom of the parish. But he saw some 30 people, mostly children, clearing the field, taking litter for pigs. The magistrates warned the defendants that they went on the land without authority and must not run such a risk again. 1904 Aug 15 Mrs Sarah Ann Edwards told the Soham court that she had several occupations and besides being a midwife and a washerwoman, prepared dead bodies for burial. She purchased a pony and lent it to her husband who went to Fordham with it. He got very drunk and went to the Windmill where the made a bargain for the pony with William Harlock. It was taken from the cart and replaced by another one. This was a broken-down creature, only fit for the knacker’s yard. When her husband got home she went in search of her own animal and found it in the Ely pig market. Harlock said he had bought it from her husband 1904 Sep 14 Four Soham passive resisters were before the magistrates for non-payment of the education rate. They were the Rev Shreeve Baptist minister, Rev H.C. Gant the Congregational minister, C. Fyson a wheelwright, and Frederick Owers. He was aged nearly 80 and had always paid his rates before but objected – ‘I expect I have got to pay, but that does not make a just thing of it any the more for that’. Rev. Shreeve said it was no pleasure for him to come to court; it was obnoxious as he had always been a law-abiding person but he had a conscientious objection to paying the rate 1905 Jan 18 The largest and most destructive fire at Soham in recent years took place at Cross Green. It originated in the roof of a thatched cottage occupied by James Boon, a horsekeeer. Although when first noticed the flames might have been covered by a bushel measure, they increased in size at an alarming rate and very soon the whole block was in flames. It spread with such rapidity that firemen had to leave their work and slide down the ladders with all possible speed. The cold was intense; there were several degrees of frost and the icicles formed on the burning buildings within a foot of the flames after the hose had been at work a few minutes. The town was empty, trade was at a standstill and everyone flocked to witness the destruction of the Old Malting. 050118 – 18b 1905 Jan 25 c An inquest on a Soham lad heard that his death was due to his ignorance of the dangerous nature of the liquor of which he was partaking. Gambling had been going on at the George and Dragon and the King’s head at Soham. The licensees had provided dice and bottles of spirits as prizes. It was by these spirits that the poor lad was poisoned and as long as spirits are readily procurable such accidents must occasion. Mike Petty – www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/MikePetty - 01353 648106 3 Looking Back: Soham stories, compiled by Mike Petty 1905 Apr 05 Magistrates refused to renew the licence of the George and Dragon public house at Soham. There were 14 fully-licensed public houses, 18 on beer-houses, two off beer-houses and one grocer’s licence for a population of 4,230 people – Soham must be a thirsty place, they commented.